Residents of Venice have reported spotting dolphins, swans and fish in newly clear canal waters after the usually bustling city went quiet as coronavirus spread throughout Italy.  

A satellite that detects pollution from human activity shows how the coronavirus is shutting down whole countries.

The Leeds University study looked at 86 countries and came to broadly the same conclusions about the rich.

Air pollution over northern Italy fell after the government introduced a nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus, satellite imagery showed on Friday, in a new example of the pandemic's potential impact on emissions.

The world is "way off track" from meeting targets to limit global warming as the signs of a climate emergency grow more damaging, the United Nations has warned. Increasing heat, accelerating sea level rises, and extreme weather in 2019 were all indications of the impact of failing to rein in carbon emissions, said a report compiled by the UN's World Meteorological Organisation.

But researchers say the result is conservative, and that weather conditions that make fires more likely will continue to worsen.

Despite recent defeats, activists are optimistic that courts will provide relief from climate change.

Leading scientists and conservationists are proposing that up to 50 percent of the earth's land and oceans be protected in the coming decades. While some view the goal as unrealistic, proponents say it is essential for preserving the natural systems on which life itself depends.

A new record set so soon after the previous record of 17.5C in March 2015 is a sign warming in Antarctica is happening much faster than global average.